Seam for sewed articles.



A. GRIEB.

SEAM FUR SEWED ARTICLES.

APPLICATION rlLED MAR. 8. |916.

Patented Mar. 13, 1917.

A TTOR/VE V entran sTaTss PATENT ernten ALFREDVGRIEB, 0F ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOB TO THE SINGER. MANUFAC- TUBING COMPANY, A CORPORATION GF NEW' JERSEY.

SEAIVI FCR .SEWED ARTICLES. f

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 13, 1917.

To all whom z'z may concern.'

VBe it known that I, ALFRED Ganan, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elizabeth, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Scams for Sewed Articles, of which the following is a specilication, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention has for its object to provide a composite elastic seam, which may be formed in one operation by a suitable machine and which is adapted to fasten together pieces of fabric, and more particularly, to fasten together and neatly cover theabut-ted raw edges of cut knit goods.y

The invention has for a further object the production of a seam of this nature which may be employed for ornamental or for overedging purposes, and when so used may be formed in the body, or along the edge, of one or more plies of fabric of any desired character.

In its broader aspects the invention relates to the use of two outer threads formed with two rows of spaced thread-loops, an intermediate line of zigzag stitches, and cross-threads, each looped back and forth between each outer thread, respectively, and the zigzag stitches. In its preferred form, the seam is used to securely join and cover two abutted edge portions of cut knit goods, in such a manner that the seam will properly resist lateral stress and the cut thread ends of the material will be bound down and prevented from protruding and marring the finished appearance Vof the seam. In this embodiment of the invention two outer straightaway threads are formed at regular intervals into loops which are anchored in the fabric in two rows, one on each side of the line of division or median 'line of the seam. A looper-thread lying the upper face of the fabric, and each eX- tends back and forth across the line of division from each outer thread, respectively, to the intermediate or zigzag thread. The crossing portions of each cross-thread are preferably inclined in the same general direction toward the line of division, so that the zigzag stitches will be yieldingly connected to the outer threads.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the specilication, Figure 1 illustrates the mannerof laying the covering threads by a suitable machine. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the upper face of the seam shown in Fig. l, and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the reverse or under face of the seam shown in Figs. l and 2.

In the body of thefabric indicated generally by A, which may comprise two abutted edge-portions of fabric a, Z9, abutted along the line c, c, are disposed two longitudinally extending outer straightaway threads l, l formed at regular intervals with loops 2, 2 which penetrate the fabric and protrude from the under face thereof, as shown in Fi 3. These threads may be laid in position y a pair of laterally spaced needles 3a, 3b mounted on the needle-bar 4L, confined to reciprocate in a fixed path. Concatenated with the lops 2-, 2 in a well known manner, is a looper-thread 5 disposed on the under face of the fabric and serving to key the loops 2, 2 and yieldingly withstand any lateral stress which ina-y be exerted on the seam.

Disposed along the upper .face of the fabric, between the threads l, l is a zigzag thread G, having loops 7 projected through the fabric portions c, alternately, in zigzag arrangement. The zigzag thread 6 may be laid in position by a. third needle 8 mounted behind the needles 3a, 3b on a laterally vibra-ted needle-bar 9, adapted to partake'of the vertical reciprocatory motions of the front needle-bar t. A looper-thread l0 is concatenated with the loops 7 of thread G and forms therewith a row of zigzag double-chain stitches which, per so, are old and well known in the art. As the thread 6 is preferably laid by a needle 8 which reciprocates simultaneously with the needles 3a, 3b, it is evident that the loops 7 bear a definite relation to the loops 2, 2 throughout the length of the seam. This relation may, of course, be changed by altering the feed of the machine or varying the distance between the laterally vibrated needle 8 and the front needles 3a, 3b.

F or the purpose of connecting the zigzag thread 6 with the outer threads 1, 1 and assisting the thread 6 in confining the cut fabric thread-ends along the lines c, c, I employ cross-threads 11 and 12, each of which l is looped back and forth between each outer thread, respectively, and the zigzag thread G and concatenated Vthere-with as clearly shown in Fig. 2. In order to conveniently lay the cross-threads, use is made of two laterally movable curved thread laying fingers 13, le', which cooperate with the needles to properly lay the threads 1l and 12. In the position of the parts shown in Fig. 1, the thread-finger 123 is retracted, thread-finger 14 is advanced, and it will be noted that the length of the thread 12, eX- tending from the thread-finger 14 to the last stitch has been over-stepped by the needles 3b and 8. Also, the needle 3a has overstepped the thread 11. Preparatory to the next descent of the needles, the vibrated needle 8 will have been moved to the right, the thread-finger 14 will have been retracted and the thread-finger13 advanced, so that the parts will be in a position to permit the coperation of thread-finger 13 with needles 85L and 8.

lVhile I have shown looper-threads 5 and 10 as the means for keying the loops in the threads 1 and 6, it is to be understood that other old and well-known locking expedients may be employed for preventing the loops 2, 2 and 7, 7 from being pulled out of the fabric.

The cross-threads 1l are preferably laid with a light tension, their Vchief function being to confine the cut threads of fabric and to gire an ornamental appearance to the seam. However, by varying the tensions of the machine, the appearance of the seam may be varied more or less and while I have shown the threads and loops in their preferred locations it is to be understood that various modifications of the construction shown may be made, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is 1. In a seam, the combination with fabric,

of two outer threads each formed at in-v tervals with loops, an intermediate zigzag thread formed with loops disposed in zigzag arrangement, means for keying the loops in said outer and intermediate threads, and two cross-threads each looped back and forth between the intermediate thread and each outer thread, respectively, and concatenated with loops in said outer and intermediate threads.

2. In a seam, the combination with fabric, of two outer straightawav threads, each 3. In a seam, the combination with fab-n ric, of two outer straightaway threads disposed mainly upon one face of the fabric and each formed with loops disposed in a substantiall y straight row, of a keying thread disposed mainly upon the opposite face of the fabric and concatenated with the loopsY of said outer threads, a row of zigzag stitches disposed between said outer threads and confining said keying thread, and two cross-threads each looped back and forth between the zigzag stitches, and each outer thread, respectively, and concatenated with loops of said outer' threads and said zigzag stitches.

4. In a seam, the combination with two opposed edge-portions of fabric, of two outer threads, one on each side of the line of division and each formed at intervals with loops entering the fabric, an intermediate zigzag thread formed with loops disposed in zigzag arrangement and entering the fabric alternately on each side of the line of division, means for keying said loops, and cross-threads each looped back and forth between the zigzag thread and each outer thread, respectively, extending across the line of division, and concatenated with the loops of said outer and zigzag threads.

5. In a seam, the combination with fabric, of two outer threads, each formed at intervals with loops, an intermediate zigzag thread formed with loops disposed in zigzag arrangement, means for keying the loops of said outer and intermediate threads, and two cross-threads each looped back and forth between the intermediate thread and each outer thread, respectively, and concatenated with loops of said outer and intermediate threads, all of the crossing portions of each cross-thread being similarly inclined to the median line of the seam.

6. In a seam, the combination with fabric, of two outer threads, each formed at regular intervals with loops, au intermediate zigzag thread formed at correspondingly frequent intervals with loops disposed in zigzag arrangement, means for keying the loops of said outer and intermediate threads, and two cross-threads each looped back and forth between the intermediate thread and each outer thread, respectively, and concatenated with loops in said outer and intermediate threads. Y

7 In a seam,- the combination with fabric,

of two outer threads, each formed at regular intervals with loops, and embracing a portion of the fabric between them, an intermediate zigzag thread formed at corre- 5 Spondingly frequent intervals with loops disposed in zigzag arrangement and entering said embraced portion of the fabric, means for keying the loops in said outer and intermediate threads, and two cross-threads each looped back and forth between the intermediate thread and each outer thread, respectively, and concatenated with loops in said outer and intermediate threads.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specication.

- ALFRED GRIEB.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

